Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesAfter the debacle with Simmons, which included threats that he wouldn't attend training camp, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the NBA added new rules to try and police player/team disputes.
Paraphrasing (a pre-existing) clause in the CBA: If a player in the last year of their contract withholds services for more than 30 days after the start of the season, they will not be a free agent the following offseason. The player cannot negotiate a contract with any other team (local or international). That limbo stays in place for as long as, in this case, the Sixers decide.
Additionally, new language states that any player who "publicly expresses a desire to be traded to another team shall be subject to a fine [up to $150,000] and/or a suspension."
While a fine would be small relative to Harden's salary (0.4 percent), a suspension could range from roughly $248,000-$389,000 per day, depending on the length and triggering event (a trade demand is technically cheaper than refusing to play).
Star players have demanded trades for almost as long as the league has existed. (Look up how Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ended up with the Los Angeles Lakers.) To an extent, there may be no real way to prevent it.
The rules will prevent Harden from no-showing entirely, but he can make life unpleasant for the franchise, potentially poisoning the well with star center Joel Embiid.
Harden's goal would be to preserve his Bird rights by forcing a trade to a new team. Still, his leverage may be a willingness to go to free agency next July, provided he doesn't trigger the more extreme punishment by holding out for more than 30 days.
If that takes down the Sixers' season in the process, so be it.
Harden has no choice but to show up at some point in Philadelphia, but he may have a "lingering injury" that limits his availability.
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